Quelle est la différence entre manchots et pingouins ?

What is the difference between a. penguin and an auk? Well, some animals. look very much alike, as you know, to. the point that they are often confused. This is especially the case for auks. and penguins. At first glance, a casual. observer in a hurry won't see much. difference between them. And yet, if. I'm telling you about it, it's because. these animals do belong to different. species. There are actually 18 species. of penguins that have nothing to do. with the species of auks. And that's. not all, since these animals don't. really evolve in the same habitats. Yes. , auks are only present in the Northern.

Hemisphere, from the North Pole to the. coasts of North America and Northern. Europe, as they are found in Iceland or. Russia. For their part, penguins only. frequent lands in the Southern. Hemisphere, from Antarctica, which is. their main habitat, to New Zealand or. Australia. And then, physically, what. differentiates penguins and auks is the. use they make of their wings. Because. the former cannot take off from the. ground and, along with ostriches and. emus, are flightless birds. Which. doesn't mean, mind you, that their. wings are useless; rather, they serve.

as flippers because penguins, being at. ease in the water, are excellent divers. . So with their small wings, their. compact bodies, and their clumsy gait, one might think that little auks, the. only remaining species, aren't very. well equipped to soar through the air. either. And yet, be aware that auks can. fly. At least, that is what some. specialists claim, noting that their. less massive bodies and short wings, better adapted for flight, make them. more suited for this activity. Finally, a last difference, and not the least:

auks are much smaller and lighter than. penguins. Well, yes, the auk measures. about 40 cm compared to over a meter on. average for the penguin, and the latter. weighs around 40 kg, while the weight. of an auk varies between 500 and 750 g. That's it for this episode. If you. enjoyed it, know that I publish several. per day on my "Things to Know" podcasts. . I'm putting all the links in the. description. Thank you.